IDAI: PP Tunas Accommodates Children's Physical and Mental Health

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Chairman of the Central Board of the Indonesian Paediatric Society (IDAI), Piprim Basarah Yanuarso, stated that Government Regulation No. 17 of 2025 on the Protection and Governance of Electronic System Operations in Child Protection (PP Tunas) accommodates children’s physical and mental health.

According to Dr Piprim, the regulation’s restrictions on social media access for children under 16 years old encourage more active physical activities, while still emphasising the important role of parents and schools.

“Thus, with this regulation, we can use it to educate families, including schools, so that children become more physically active in the real world,” said Dr Piprim to ANTARA at the Vaccination House in East Jakarta on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, PP Tunas also addresses the mental aspect, said Dr Piprim, as there is a risk of reduced socialisation skills, which are important for developing empathy.

Dr Piprim explained that excessive exposure to digital devices can lead to sleep disorders, which pose risks to physical and mental health.

On the physical side, children who experience insufficient sleep suffer from reduced immunity.

“Because our immune system, whether in adults or children, depends greatly on adequate sleep. Children who lack sleep are very vulnerable to various diseases,” he added.

From the mental aspect, continued Piprim, children who lack sleep risk affecting their intelligence and learning comprehension.

“Children who are intelligent but struggle to control their sleep schedule, especially due to digital devices. This, I think, is one of the positive impacts of the PP Tunas regulation,” he stated.

Previously, PP Tunas has been in effect since 28 March 2026 to restrict children from high-risk digital platforms.

The government, through the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, has affirmed that it will enforce procedures in accordance with applicable rules against non-compliant platforms.

The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs issued Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Regulation No. 9 of 2026 on the Implementation of PP Tunas, under which accounts of children under 16 years old on high-risk platforms will be deactivated, such as YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live, and Roblox.